Time to gauge level of moxie in Warriors' rookies

WARRIORS

Published 4:00 am, Friday, April 6, 2012

New Jersey Nets' Gerald Wallace, left, guards Golden State Warriors' Charles Jenkins (22) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 30, 2012, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

New Jersey Nets' Gerald Wallace, left, guards Golden State Warriors' Charles Jenkins (22) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 30, 2012, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

Photo: Ben Margot, Associated Press

Time to gauge level of moxie in Warriors' rookies

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Warriors coach Mark Jackson seemed to be signaling that he was handing over the rest of this season to his team's youth Wednesday, when he subbed three rookies into a four-point game with 5:35 remaining.

It became official, when he laughed off a postgame question that asked if rookie point guard Charles Jenkins reminded Jackson of himself.

"Nah, he's better than me," Jackson said.

Jenkins probably isn't going to finish his career with more than 10,000 assists, as Jackson did. But the rookie, along with two of the Warriors' other first-year players, showed some of Jackson's familiar steady play in the clutch during Wednesday's 97-94 victory at Minnesota.

"Every time we go into a game, we say, 'Rook City,' because we know we're representing all three rookies," Jenkins said. "To have the three of us on the court, it just shows how much we've grown."

No. 11 overall pick Klay Thompson scored nine points during a 20-7 third-quarter run that completed a 20-point comeback and gave the Warriors a 59-58 lead. He added a jumper from just inside the three-point line with 1:32 remaining in the fourth that put the Warriors up 94-91.

Jeremy Tyler, a project in the post, had his third good game in the past four. He played solid defense on a rotating list of players Minnesota coach Rick Adelman threw at him in the final 5 1/2 minutes, and had positive plays that didn't show up in the box score by tipping and batting a couple of loose balls.

Everything Jenkins did shows up in the box score, and to the naked eye. He scored seven of the team's final nine points, including what proved to be the game-winning layup off a scramble for the ball with 20.8 seconds remaining.

But there's no way to practice this: Richard Jefferson couldn't get a shot and passed the ball off David Lee's foot before Jenkins gathered the loose ball on the left wing. He drove right, secured the ball through two help defenders, and scored a left-handed scoop under the outstretched arms of Kevin Love to put the Warriors ahead 96-94. After J.J. Barea missed a forced leaner, Jenkins made a free throw to secure the 97-94 victory.

Jenkins said he heard his bench screaming "money" when he picked up the loose ball, meaning the shot clock is running down and it's time to drive toward the basket. He made a living doing that at Hofstra, but he's often tried to fit into a system in his first year in the league.

"Nate (Robinson) said the easiest thing to guard is a robot," Jenkins said. "I had to put guys on their heels a little bit."

The Warriors have played 23 games that were within three points in the final 90 seconds this season, including a league-high 15 that were ultimately decided by three or fewer points. They're 8-15 in those games, including 3-6 on the road.

Wednesday's game was the first time the rookie trio played all but a few seconds of the final 5 1/2 minutes of a close game.

"These guys are hungry," said Jefferson, who is the team's only 30-year-old. "You're not in close games every night if you're a bad team, but learning to win close games with young guys is tough. These guys are learning."

Warriors on Friday

Who: Warriors (21-32) vs. Jazz (28-27)

Where: Salt Lake City

When: 6 p.m.

TV/Radio: CSNBA/680

Of note: Utah has lost five of its past seven games since a six-game winning streak that included a 99-92 overtime victory against the Warriors on March 17. ... Derrick Favors had 23 points and 17 rebounds in that game, becoming the youngest player (20 years, 246 days) in franchise history to score at least 20 points. ... Wings Raja Bell and Josh Howard are out with knee injuries, moving C.J. Miles and Gordon Hayward into the starting the lineup.